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If It’s Dangerous, Safeguard It!

The equipment that’s at the heart of many operations may also be at the heart of safety problems—especially amputation hazards.
Amputations are among the most severe and disabling workplace injuries. According to some estimates, the number of annual job-related amputations is about 5,000. That’s an average of almost 14 a day—and that’s a lot.
According to OSHA, the first step in preventing amputations is to ensure that employees can recognize contributing factors.
Three types of mechanical components present amputation hazards:
• Point of operation
• Power transmission apparatus
• Other moving parts
Various types of hazardous mechanical motions and actions can contribute to an amputation, including:
• Rotating motions
• Reciprocating (back-and-forth or up-and-down) motions
• Traversing (continuous-line) motions
• Cutting action
• Punching action
• Shearing action
• Bending action
• In-running nip points (pinch points)
According to OSHA, activities that increase the risk of amputations include:
• Machine set-up/threading/preparation
• Machine inspection
• Normal production operations
• Clearing jams
• Machine adjustments
• Machine cleaning
• Lubricating parts
• Scheduled and unscheduled maintenance
Safeguards Prevent Injuries
Machine guards—the primary devices for safeguarding equipment and preventing amputations—prevent inadvertent access to hazards in one of several ways:
• By preventing operation if a hand or body part is placed in the danger area
• By restraining or withdrawing the hands from the danger area during operation
• By requiring the use of both hands on machine controls or the use of one hand if the control is mounted a safe distance from the danger area
• By providing a barrier that is synchronized with the operation cycle to prevent entry to the danger area